Through the Flames
by Lindelas
Summary: Kurt and Logan help a family escape from a burning house, but they soon find out that the fire was more than a mere accident. Now they have to discover who is harassing the family and why. Non-slash
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is my first X-men story and I'm feeling a little shaky with it so far, having never written these characters before. Constructive criticism is welcome on that point, since writing characters correctly is something I strive for. _

_The story will probably undergo a _lot _of revision, since I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it, though I have a vague idea. So don't be surprised if you look back and find things a little different. I just thought it would be fun to post it and see what kind of response it gets._

_I've set it in the 'Wolverine and the X-Men' fandom, since that is my favorite version of Nightcrawler. But there may be some inconsistencies since I am also fond of most of the other X-Men interpretations in one way or another. Really, my imagination likes to take bits and pieces of each and mix them together into my own wild canon, but I'll try to stay at least _remotely_ true. Promise. :) _

_I've chosen _not_ to write Kurt's accent, since I think most everyone can imagine it just fine without my help._

_Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 1

"Elf, get yourself outta bed, NOW!"

Kurt decided that Logan's rough voice was better than any alarm clock ever invented, since it brought him rapidly out of a sound sleep and nearly shot him through the roof. he sat up and blinked toward the doorway, seeing Logan's bulky form in a blurry haze before his vision cleared of sleep.

"Logan, I wish you wouldn't do that." He groaned.

"I can pick up Kitty myself if you need more beauty sleep."

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry, I forgot. What time is it?"

"Time to go." Logan said unhelpfully. Kurt sat up and glanced at his alarm clock, which apparently had not gone off. Either that, or he hadn't heard it. Its digital numbers were blinking and hour and a half later than when he had intended to be up.

He got out of bed and grabbed some clothes. "I'll be right down. I wouldn't want to subject Kitty to your morning temper for that long drive."

Logan snorted and left.

Kurt scowled as he pulled on his jeans and t-shirt, realizing that he wouldn't have time to eat breakfast. Kitty's plane would be landing in less than an hour. They were already going to be late. His stomach growled and he briefly considered telling Logan to go without him, but Kitty had been gone for a month visiting her parents and he was anxious to see her. She would be disappointed if he failed to show up.

Logan couldn't help an amused smirk when Kurt appeared in the passenger seat of the car in a puff of red smoke. It was obvious he wasn't awake yet. His eyes were unfocused and his black hair was disheveled, sticking up in all different directions. He didn't say a word as Logan brought the car out of the long drive of the institute and through the gate, sitting in a slumped posture that made him look younger than his nineteen years. He yawned as they joined the morning traffic on the freeway. "Wake me when we get there." he muttered.

"Rough night?"

"Ja."

"This couldn't have something to do with that little joke you played on Popsicle Boy last week, could it?"

Kurt's eyes narrowed and he scowled. "Ja." '_Had frosting his bed sheets really been a fair retaliation for such a little--'_

"Right. Well, just leave me out of it. I like to sleep."

"So do I. Next time he won't know it was me. "Kurt said confidently as he leaned back. Next time he would remember _not_ to teleport out of the room of the person whose hair he had just dyed purple in their sleep. The smell of sulfur was a bit of a giveaway.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Kids."

Kurt didn't sleep for long. His stomach woke him before they were halfway to the airport. He wasn't complaining, but Logan noticed the frown of discomfort which seemed out of place on Kurt's normally cheerful face. Kurt's heightened metabolism made skipping a meal more painful than it was for most teenagers.

Wordlessly, Logan turned off at a pastry shop. Kurt glanced at him, eyebrow raised.

"You look pitiful. Besides, I didn't have breakfast either."

Throwing Logan a grateful look, Kurt settled in to wait while the older man got their food. There was no need for him to go inside the shop since Logan knew how much he could eat, and neither of them had any desire to cause a scene; something that happened all too often when Kurt went out in public. Logan frequently caused scenes as well, but only when someone got on his nerves.

Logan came out ten minutes later and dropped a pile of assorted wrapped pastries on Kurt's lap, working his way through a mere_ two_ cinnamon rolls himself. "There you go, Elf. Breakfast of champions."

"Danke." Kurt said enthusiastically, tucking into the food, his mood brightening immediately.

Logan was about to head them out again when they heard an explosion on an adjoining street street, followed by screams. Kurt glanced at Logan and the older mutant put the car back in park. "Half-Pint will have to wait."

They raced down the street, against the flow of people fleeing in the opposite direction until they saw the flaming building. Fortunately it was fairly small and there weren't many structures near it, but it was easy to see that there was no saving it. All that could be hoped for was to save the people inside--if there were any.

Logan collared a man who looked like he was trying to help organize things. "Anyone inside?"

"The Grants live there. Yes, they probably are. Laura and the two kids at least." The man looked grim as though he didn't expect to ever see the family alive again. Understandable, since the building was obviously in dire straits.

Kurt moved close enough to see through a window opening. The hot flames licked at his fur and took his breath away, but a moment later, he disappeared, teleporting into the house. Logan followed, simply making a new entrance with his claws, roaring as hot glass remnants and flaming wood tore at his skin.

Kurt pointed to a closed door. "In there!" He coughed.

"Stand back!" Logan yelled through the door a second before he knocked it down, scattering sparks and flaming debris across the room. Kurt shielded his eyes and when he looked up it was barely in time to catch the screaming child that Logan practically threw into his arms. The little girl's cries of terror intensified when she saw Kurt, but he didn't have time to be hurt by her reaction. Logan and two other people emerged coughing from the room, and Kurt quickly looked for the window opening and teleported through, depositing the girl on the lawn a safe distance from the house before going back in. His lungs couldn't take much more, but if Logan could get the woman out, he could get the boy.

Logan apparently thought the same thing, thrusting the scared teenaged boy toward Kurt as soon as he appeared. "Get him out. I'm right behind you."

The main body of the house collapsed only seconds after Kurt, Logan and the family were out on the lawn. The firemen and EMTs were ready to take over helping the dazed little family, and Kurt and Logan were happy to oblige, but the woman suddenly looked around wildly. "Where's Molly?"

Kurt looked back to the place he had left the child. There had been so many people around he had assumed a neighbor would take care of her, but now, she was nowhere to be seen.

_AN: So, what do you think? Let me know! Want more? _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Where would she go?" Kurt asked the woman quickly.

She shook her head fearfully. "I don't know. She isn't allowed to leave the yard."

"We'll find her." Logan said firmly, pushing is way through a crowd of bystanders and heading off down a side street. Kurt considered following him, but decided they would cover more ground if he took a different street.

Ignoring the strange looks he was getting, the blue mutant ran down a quiet looking alley, thinking it might look like an appealing place to hide for a frightened child. As he walked further, he realized that it was also the last place he would _want_ a child to go. It was, unfortunately, the sort of dark alley that he would expect the resident low-life scum to hide out.

On a whim, Kurt crawled up the wall of the nearest building, getting a better view of some of the dark corners where a child might hide.

"Molly?" he called softly.

"Molly? Are you here?" he called again, louder this time. No sound. If Molly was here, she wasn't telling anyone. Certainly not a stranger with blue fur and a strange accent who was climbing walls. Kurt sighed, almost wishing he had put on his image inducer this morning before going with Logan to pick up Kitty at the airport. he was in street clothes, but without his inducer, there was nothing to hide the soft blue fur, the solid golden eyes, tail, or the tridactyl fingers.

He had nearly decided that he was on the wrong track when he caught sight of a wide drain tunnel at the end of the ally. His senses pricked and he climbed toward it before dropping in front of the opening. He had had enough experience with hiding himself not to know a prime hiding place when he saw one. He slid inside and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. A small, trembling figure was huddled straight across the tunnel from him.

"Molly?"

"Go 'way!" The child's voice was soft, but shaky with fear.

"It's all right, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." Kurt cautiously moved toward her, but the child seemed to shrink even smaller.

"No! Y-you're _scary_!"

Kurt stopped, hearing tears in the child's voice. He was used to this sort of reaction, but somehow, coming from a child-a child he had just rescued no less-the distrust and fear was freshly painful. It was understandable that she was frightened with everything that had happened. She had been screaming when he had carried her from the house, but he had hoped it was just because of the fire.

"Your family is worried about you."

The girl didn't answer.

"Why did you run away?"

"I... I saw the bad man." The child's voice was so quiet that it nearly escaped Kurt's sharp ears.

He frowned in confusion. "The bad man? Who is that?"

"Mommy told me to stay away from him. I saw him and I ran away."

_So she wasn't running from me._

Questions about the odd explanation buzzed through Kurt's mind, but the important thing was to get the child back to her mother, and that wasn't turning out to be easy. Kurt didn't have the heart to pick up the frightened girl and carry her back kicking and screaming.

He thought about going back and simply telling the girl's family where she was hiding, but he was loath to leave her alone in this place. Something was pricking at the back of his mind; a feeling of unease.

He slipped his com device from his jacket pocket and was about to call Logan when the little girl screamed and Kurt turned to find a knife rapidly descending toward his back. He teleported in time to avoid the blow, then, while his assailant was still blinking in confusion, he grabbed the child and teleported her out of harm's way. This time, the girl seemed too surprised to scream.

"Stay here, liebchen." he told her, setting her down on top of a high stack of crates. Two more men entered the alley, wielding knives, and various other close range weapons, though fortunately no guns; not that Kurt could see anyway.

He came down on top of one of them, standing on him just long enough for the others to shake out of their stupor and come towards him. Then he teleported behind them, climbing just out of reach up a wall.

"Don't you wish you could do that?" he smirked at the thugs' angry expressions below him.

One of them threw a knife. Kurt had to give him credit, it was accurately thrown, but it didn't stop him from catching the knife, teleporting behind the thrower and using the sizable handle to render him unconscious. Still holding the knife, he spread his hands in a gesture of appeal at the two remaining. "Why can't we talk this over? There is no need for all of you to end up on the ground."

"You're gonna end up _under_ the ground, blue boy!" The larger one snarled, raising a studded club.

"Nein. I don't think so."

Just as he was about to teleport, the child screamed and he turned quickly to see another man that must have just entered the alley climbing the crates toward the girl. In another moment he would reach her.

The second of distraction was all the thug needed. The studded club came down hard on the back of Kurt's head and he slumped to the ground. Even the cries of the child did not break through his mind.

_AN/ Short chapter, and one that I'm not very happy with either. But thank you all for the reviews! They really make my day and motivate me to write more, and _better_ hopefully! Keep 'em coming!_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN/This one's just kind of short and fluffy (or fuzzy, if you prefer.) I was shooting for three reviews before I posted and I got 'em! Thank you all!_

Chapter 3

Darkness never bothered Kurt, but he found it disconcerting when he woke up with a monstrous headache and found himself in complete and total darkness; darkness that even his night eyes could not penetrate.

Memory slowly returned and with it, annoyance. He had let himself get distracted long enough for someone to hit him and lock him in a dark room.

_I've got to schedule more danger room sessions._ He thought, cautiously sitting up, and rubbing the large lump on the back of his head.

"Who's there?" a small, frightened voice asked.

Molly. He couldn't see her, but she was only a few feet away by the sound of her voice.

"Its all right, liebchen. Its just me. I'm not going to hurt you."

He heard her rustle around, but she didn't come any closer. "Are you... are you a... a _monster_?" The last word was no more than a frightened whisper, as if she didn't really want to know.

"No, little one, I'm not a monster. I just look different from you."

"I'm awfully scared."

"Of me?"

"No... I guess not. I'm afraid of the dark."

At the child's cautious admission, Kurt's heart lifted slightly. If she was able to trust him, it would be far easier to get them out. The pounding in his head seemed to lessen slightly. "I don't mind the dark so much."

"Were you scared of it when you were little like me? Mommy says even Jeremy was scared when he was little."

Kurt smiled. "No, not even when I was little. But everyone gets scared sometimes."

"I wish Jeremy was here. When I get scared, he let's me sleep in his bed, and he tells me stories."

"He sounds like a good big brother."

"Can I... can I sit with you?" The girl's voice dropped to a whisper again.

"If you want."

He heard the child rustling again and a moment later he sensed a small body next to him, not quite touching, but close all the same. He was glad that there was no light to reflect his eyes. People older than this child had found his glowing golden eyes disconcerting in the dark.

As soon as his head stopped pounding enough for him to think straight he dug into his pocket for his com device, hoping to call Logan. He sighed when his fingers met empty pocket. At the same he wasn't too worried. If he was gone for too long and failed to communicate, Logan would know there was something wrong and come looking for him. The older mutant might not be able to track the little girl by scent, not knowing her, but Kurt he could definitely find. All there was left to do was wait, since he couldn't teleport them out of here.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside their prison and Kurt felt the little girl move closer to him. The footsteps passed and Kurt laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Its ok. They're gone now."

"But they'll be back, won't they?"

"Maybe, but I won't let them hurt you."

"How will we get out of here? Can't you do... what you did before?"

"No, I can't do that right now. It might hurt us. But I have a friend who should be looking for us by now. He'll get us out."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Kurt. And you are Molly, ja?"

"Yeah, I'm Molly." She paused thoughtfully. "Kurt, why are you blue?"

Kurt smiled. He was glad that the child didn't seem to be afraid of him anymore, only curious. "I was born that way."

"Oh. I like blue." She cautiously touched his hand on her shoulder and gasped. "Hey, you're soft like my bunny!"

Kurt laughed. "I guess I am. What is your bunny's name?"

"Tickles. But he can be mean sometimes. I'm glad he was staying with Grandma this week. Otherwise he might've got burned up like..." Molly's voice choked off in a little cry. "Kurt, where's my Mommy?"

Kurt quickly reassured her, realizing that she had disappeared before he and Logan had gotten the rest of her family out. "She's fine, little one. And your brother is all right too. They were worried about you. That is why I was looking for you."

"I thought you were bad too. You looked scary." She said quietly. "But you're not, really. Not like those others." she shuddered and snuggled closer.

Kurt remembered what she had said earlier. "I'm glad you're not scared of me, liebchen. But tell me, what did you mean when you told me you saw 'the bad man'?"

He sensed the child looking up towards his face even though he couldn't see her.

"The man who was bothering Daddy. He stopped coming to our house, but Mommy said not to talk to him if I saw him."

"And you saw him after I got you out of the house?"

"Yes. He asked me to come to him, but I ran away."

"What was he bothering your father about, Molly?"

"I think it was about money. I was in my room, but I was listening through the door." The child sounded sheepish about that, as if she expected Kurt to reprimand her, but Kurt was too busy trying to interpret the troubles of this family through the lips of a little girl. Besides that, he had done his own fair share of eavesdropping at her age.

"Where is your father?"

"Mommy says he's at work, but I don't think so because he always comes home at night, but... but he's been gone for two nights!" The breathless story came out with a hint of sadness and worry, and Kurt squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sure he's all right, Molly." He wondered if he should have told her such a thing under the circumstances. From what he had pieced together, it sounded like he could be in real trouble. He frowned wryly. As if he and Molly weren't in real trouble. He was fairly certain he could take care of himself and Molly. Once he could see to teleport, they could be out of harm's way quickly enough. '_If I pay attention this time.'_

Molly's safety was his first priority, but now he was eager to figure out the rest of the situation and help if he could. '_Which I can't do while we're stuck in here.' _he thought darkly.

To make matters worse, his stomach began to protest its lack of food all over again. He wondered how long he had been here. The events of the morning seemed long ago at this point. He wondered about Kitty and hoped she had gotten home all right. He wasn't really worried about her. More than likely she had taken a cab when he and Logan hadn't shown up. His friend was more than capable of taking care of herself, but as his stomach growled again he thought he'd give just about anything to be happily joking with Kitty in the car as Logan drove them home, rather than sitting in the dark with a pounding head and aching stomach.

When his stomach growled again, Molly actually laughed. "Your tummy talked!"

Kurt smiled. "When we get out of here, I'm going to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at once!"

Molly giggled. "Me too!"


	4. Chapter 4

_AN/_ _Hey everyone! Its been a while. Too long, in fact. I've been busy all summer working at a camp, but I'm finished now, and hoping to devote some more time to writing. _

_All the lovely reviews have truly warmed my heart and encouraged me to keep up with this one. Thank you all so much! enjoy the next chapter! _

Chapter 4

Kurt had just made up his mind to explore thier prison by feel when they heard footsteps outside the door again. They stopped before the door and Kurt's heart leapt as three familiar claws shot through the heavy door, allowing dim light to filter inisde.

Molly screamed in panic and practically crawled into Kurt's lap as Logan continued demolishing the door. "Its all right, little one." Kurt soothed, standing up with Molly in his arms. "He's here to get us out."

Logan kicked the remains of the door aside, looking Kurt and the girl up and down, satisfying himself that they were in one piece. "Can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I Elf?"

Kurt smirked. "I found her, didn't I?"

"Next time do it without getting your head thumped."

Logan lead them down a long, sparse hall where they passed several men laid out cold. Apparently they had gotten in Logan's way. Never a healthy idea.

"Where are we anyway?" Kurt sat Molly down so that she could run on her own, but he kept hold of her hand.

"Empty warehouse about three miles from where you found the kid." he looked at Molly. "Any idea what they wanted with Tiny?"

"Only an idea that someone is threatening her father. It was a little hard to get the full story, but something more is going on here."

"We'll get her back to her mom and then take a look around."

'Kitty is going to kill us. " Kurt remarked ruefully.

"She's going to kill _you_." Logan corrected him.

Kurt was surprised at how little resistance they met on the way out- until they came to the exit and saw the eight MRD squad cars surrounding the place.

"Might'a known we'd have to deal with the MRDs." Logan growled, pulling them behind the warehouse door.

"Dang." Kurt muttered. "Did they call the MRD for me, or you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Nein." Kurt said grimly, picking up Molly again. "Obviously they think their plans will work better without mutants in the way."

"Too bad for them." Logan's claws came out.

Before Logan could run out and simply rip everything to shreds, Kurt grabbed his arm and teleported them to a nearby rooftop, behind the MRD soldiers. Logan threw him a look, and Kurt shrugged. "Why do it the hard way? I can get us away from here without traumatizing Molly and without them seeing us."

"Fine." Logan growled. "We'll keep it PG for the kiddies this time." he pointed northwest. "Car's that way."

"Sehr gut."

Molly was feeling sick to her stomach after the three teleports it took them to get to the car, but her peaked face brightened when Kurt assured her that they were going to find her mother.

Mrs. Grant and her son were staying in a church that was only a block from the smoking remains of their house. Already there were several boxes of clothing and food donated by the church family stacked neatly by the door. The boy, Jeremy was helping some volunteers to organize things. When he saw Molly his face brightened and he called thorugh the door. "Mom! They found her!"

Laura Grant, tall, dark haired, and slim came rushing out of another room and scooped her daughter into her arms, hugging her tearfully. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you?"

"No Mommy. I'm ok." Molly patted her mother's shoulder. "Mr. Logan and Kurt helped me."

Laura looked at the two mutants and smiled, new tears filling her eyes. "I can't thank you enough."

"No need." Logan said.

Kurt nodded. "Your daughter is very brave, Frau Grant."

Molly disentangled herself from her mother's arms. "Mommy, can I go get a lollypop?"

Laura wiped her eyes. "Yes, sweetie. But just one, and stay where Jeremy can see you." She added as the child slipped into what looked to be the church kitchen. Obvioulsy, the child knew exactly where the lollypops were kept.

"Any idea why she ran away, Mrs. Grant?" Logan questioned. "Kurt said she was afraid of someone."

Laura looked at the two men thoughtfully for a moment. "I think after saving my daugter you have a right to know. Can I offer you a cup of coffee in the office? We can talk privately there."

As Kurt settled on a worn sofa with a steaming cup of coffee he was reminded again just how hungry he was. As if reading his mind, Laura left them for a moment and came back with a plate of cookies, setting them on the coffee table. Kurt narrowly stopped himself from inhaling the whole plate as Laura told them her story.

"My husband is the junior pastor here, but he wasn't always in this line of work. Before he came to know Christ, he was involved in an extensive drug ring. He acted as a lookout more than anything else, but he was privy to the group's inner secrets. That was years ago, but now this group, and especially its leader, has been threatening my husband, demanding money that he wouldn't give even if he could."

"Blackmail?" Kurt questioned.

Laura shook her head. "Not really. You see, my husband's previous life isn't a secret. He served his time and now he uses his expereience to help others who are trying to get out of the same situation. Anyone who knows my husband knows that his ties with that life are severed completely, thank God." She gritted her teeth. "But because they know him, know that he has a paying job, and a loving family, they can threaten him, and that's what they've been doing for the last month. Ben sent them away in no uncerain terms the first time, but then he started seeing them hanging around close."

"Where is your husband now?" Logan asked.

Laura's strong mouth turned down in worry and she stared at the ground. "I don't know." She said quietly. "He was going to a convention in Boston. Sometimes they last for a few days, but he hasn't called, and I can't reach him on his cell."

"When was the last time you tried?" Kurt asked, admiring the woman's courage. Her husband was missing, and for all they knew, dead, but she wasn't sobbing or babbling incoherently, even though it was obvious she was deeply troubled.

"Yesterday. He left day before yesterday, and I knew he could have just been busy or overtired the first night, but he would never miss calling the second night."

"Have you called the police?"

"Not yet. I keep hoping..." She bit her lip. "I guess I'm being an idiot. Ben's told me about things like this. What sometimes happens when police get involved, but now..."

She stood up and looked out the window, but Logan and Kurt could see the quavering sigh that went through her. "All that's happened; the fire, Molly running off, Ben missing, everyone here trying to help and half of them getting in the way." A corner of her mouth lifted in amusement but her breath came out in a sob. "I don't know what to do."

"Maybe we can help." Kurt said softly.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN/ Sorry for such a long wait between posting! I had to re-write this chapter because my flash drive decided to crash and die, taking with it ALL of my stories. This story was actually one of the lesser tragedies, since I had most of it safely posted. _

_I've gotten mixed reviews about Kurt's accent, but the general consensus seems to be that it is ok as is. For now, I'm leaving it alone. I for one find Nighty dialogue easier to read if it isn't mangled with an overdone accent. And again, in the show, it is not very heavy. Thanks for the feedback on that, everyone!_

_Also, I have to apologise for the horrendous spelling issues I found when re-reading previous chapters! They should be fixed now._

_Ok, I'm done rambling... for now._

Chapter 5

Kurt looked out the window of the van at the rolling countryside without really seeing it. At the moment, he was trying to still the all too familiar butterflies in his stomach.

It had been decided that Logan would go after Mr. Grant, since he had the best chance of tracking the man given their scanty information on his whereabouts, while Kurt would go with the rest of the family to keep an eye on them.

Kurt found himself less than pleased with the arrangement.

_"Vas? but I thought I would be going with you." He had protested when Logan had come out of the church after talking to Laura. Kurt had been helping Jeremy to organize and load things into the van after Laura had gently but firmly shooed all the other helpers away at dinner time. Kurt had left Logan to the planning, finding himself much more suited to keep an eye on the two children._

_"You complainin', kid?" Logan growled._

_"Me? Nein. I just love spending an unspecified amount of time with people I don't know." _

_Logan's expression softened slightly. For all his friendliness, Kurt wasn't much of a socialite, preferring to remain among the small group of people who knew and understood him._

_"I wouldn't be leaving you with them if I didn't think they could be trusted."_

_Kurt shook his head. "Its not that. They are good people. But what if I can't protect them? I haven't been an X-Man long. I'm not as experienced as you."_

_Logan smirked. "_No one_ is as experienced as me."_

_Kurt rolled his eyes, an expression that was not particularly suited to the solid gold orbs, but Logan caught the idea anyway. _

_"I meant-"_

_"Elf, I wouldn't be leaving you with them if I didn't think you could handle it."_

_Coming from Logan, it was as much as saying, 'I have faith in you.'_

Laura and Logan had decided that it would be safest for the family to get out of town. To that end, Laura had made a quick call to her brother in Pennsylvania and secured a temporary home for them. Logan suspected that their every move was being watched, but by getting the family out of town while he went to (literally) poke holes in their operation, it was hoped that they would be too distracted to make trouble for Laura and the kids.

Molly and Jeremy seemed to be loosening up more and more the further they got from the remains of their home. Even Laura seemed less troubled, telling Kurt and her children about her brother's farm and the time they had spent there as children.

By contrast, Kurt found himself becoming more nervous the further along they went. By now, Logan and all of his friends were miles away, and though he trusted Laura, this whole situation was reminding him far too much of how things had been before meeting Professor Xavier and coming to live at the institution. Only now, he had the added responsibilty of taking care of others besides himself.

He looked at Molly, sitting next to him and happily talking to the rabbit in the small cage on her lap. He wondered if he had ever been so carefree during his childhood. He supposed there were times when he had felt safe, protected, comfortable. But they had been few and far between. They must have been, because all he could remember right now were the times he had been hunted relentlessly, or at the very least laughed at, or feared because of his freakish differences.

But here was Molly, in the midst of violent upheaval, talking and laughing contentedly as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"And there's a swing in the barn, Tickles. Mommy says we can play on it, but not you because you're too small. Its ok though because there's lots of clovers for you to eat."

_Faith like a child, Kurt. How many times have you had to remind yourself of that?_

Taking a deep breath, Kurt imagined how much fun it would be to play on the swing in the barn- something he had never done before. Soon the nervous coil in his stomach didn't seem quite so tight.

Mark and Dana West's house was at the end of a long gravel driveway in an area that seemed so far removed from the city scenes that Kurt had known most of his life it was almost unsettling; in a pleasant sort of way. The house was painted cream with a cheery trim of dark green to match the rolling fields of alfalfa that surrounded it. A cream-colored barn sat behind and to the northwest of the house with a small corral nearby.

Other, similar farms could be seen across the gently rolling countryside with one no more than a quarter- mile away, but it still felt wide open and alone.

In all, Kurt thought the place looked a bit like an illustration from a book he had looked at as a child about America and the different ways of life there. Although this place was far more real-looking than the book had been with its illustration of black and white cows grazing serenely near the house and the bright red barn, and the overall clad farmer riding a tractor, with perfect white-picket fence around everything.

There wasn't a cow in sight here, and although there was indeed a barn and a tractor, this was definitely a working farm. It was neat and well kept, but probably only idyllic to the people who lived their lives and made memories here.

"All right gang, let's get unloaded." Laura said briskly as she pulled the van to a stop.

Kurt slid the door open and held the rabbit cage while Molly crawled out. A moment later, the quiet was shattered by loud barking as two dogs tore down the path from the house straight toward them. Or rather, Kurt noted with dismay, toward _him_.

Molly screamed at the top of her little lungs and Kurt, taking firm hold of both rabbit and child, quickly teleported to the top of the van.

"Don't you dare hurt Tickles!" Molly scolded the dogs as they jumped rambunctiously against the van.

"I don't think they're after Tickles." Laura said, throwing Kurt a look somewhere between amusement and sympathy.

A man's commanding voice rang out and the dogs backed off, but Kurt decided to remain atop the van for the time being.

A moment later, Laura was hugging her brother and sister-in-law. "Sorry about the dogs." Mark said. "They're a little over-enthusiastic, but at least we don't have foxes in the chicken coop anymore."

Dana looked up and saw Molly, and to her credit, she only blinked for a moment at the child's strange companion before exclaiming, "Molly, is that you? You're getting so big, sweetie!" She reached up and Molly slid happily into her aunt's arms, leaving the rabbit with Kurt.

"And you must be Kurt Wagner." The woman looked up again and this time her friendly smile melted the anxiety in Kurt's stomach.

"Laura told us about the fire and how you saved Molly." Mark added, mirroring his wife's smile. "You're welcome here as long as you need to stay."

"Danke shoen." Kurt responded by jumping gracefully from his perch, rabbit cage safely in hand. "It is good to meet you both."

"And the dogs will love you once they get to know you." Dana assured him.

_AN/ Again, thank you for all the encouraging reviews! They are very much appreciated!_


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: It feels so good to pick this story up again! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! I feel that I'll be finishing this puppy yet!_

_Someone, (I can't remember who. Sorry!) pointed out my misspelling of "Danke Schon" -'thank you'- in the previous chapter. I'll get that fixed, although I'm afraid I don't know how to do accent marks. :P Thanks for pointing it out though! I'm beginning to want to learn German just because of Nightcrawler! :)_

Chapter 6

There had been moments of his childhood like this. Few, and far between, but nevertheless stored up like precious treasures in his memory. Moments as now, when time was standing still enough that he could see the individual membranes of the leaves above his head as he waited for Molly and Jeremy to find his hiding place.

He had hidden many times in his short life, but he could only remember one other time when he had done it for fun as he was doing now.

It was something he could get used to.

Kurt and the Grant family had been at the West's farm for almost three days. By the second, Kurt was able to relax enough to admire his rural surroundings, rather than just watching them for potential threats.

The grounds were level and open for the most part, since the couple grew and harvested alfalfa for a living, but closer to the house Dana had planted copious amounts of shrubbery, flowers, and trees. It hadn't taken long for Molly and Jeremy to turn the whole place into a play area, cheerfully dragging Kurt along for the ride. They explored the barn, the tool shed, the garden, the attic, and the orchard. And then the two siblings had challenged their older friend to a game of hide and seek. Kurt had warned them that he would win, but the children hadn't believed he could really make himself invisible in the shadows. For the last half hour he had been making noises at intervals to aid their search. They still hadn't found him.

He smiled and stretched his long frame into a more comfortable position, allowing his tail to rustle the leaves of the shrub in case one of them happened to be looking his way. He was ready to be found. His stomach was beginning to growl. Dana and Laura seemed determined to spoil him at mealtimes and he had no desire to miss their latest effort.

He spotted Molly coming around the house, a mystified expression on her face as she looked in all directions for Kurt. His smile turned into a fanged grin and he whistled between his teeth. The child's head snapped around in his direction and she ran toward his hiding place.

"Jeremy, I heard him again. Over here!" She called.

Jeremy joined his sister and Kurt was sure they would finally find him as they knelt beneath the bush and spread its leaves only inches from his face.

"He's not there. We've already looked." Jeremy said.

"But I heard him!" Molly insisted, worming her fingers among the branches. She froze with a gasp when her small hand closed on one of Kurt's fingers. "Kurt?"

Kurt laughed and wriggled from his hiding place as the siblings watched in astonishment.

"How did you fit in there?" Jeremy asked, his eyes wide. "We couldn't even see you!"

"I spent a lot of time with a circus. Some of my friends taught me how to fit in tight places." Kurt explained.

"Find me now, Kurt!" Molly begged, still holding his hand and bouncing up and down.

"After dinner, little one." Kurt promised.

As Kurt followed them to the house, something touched the back of his mind; a feeling of unease and danger. After such a beautiful day he wanted nothing more than to dismiss it as paranoia, but he turned before going into the house and looked around sharply. There was nothing to break the peace of the evening that he could see, but the relaxation of his guard that he had begun to allow in the past two days was replaced by renewed watchfulness as he went inside. This place seemed so far removed from the trouble they had found in the city, but so long as the drug ring existed in any capacity, there was danger to this family. By torching the family's home and kidnapping Grant, they had shown how far they would go. And until Logan cleaned their clocks, Kurt knew he had to be wary.

He hadn't talked to Logan since the older man had left, but after everyone was asleep, Kurt took out his communicator.

"Logan? Are you there?"

Static met his ears, followed closely by Logan's equally rough voice. "Yeah kid. All quiet?"

"We're fine..." Kurt stopped himself from saying anything about he feeling of unease he had experienced earlier in the day.

"Good. I know where they're keeping Grant. I just have to get him out and wrap these bozos up real pretty for the police. After that's done, I'll be heading your way before anyone can call the MRDs on me."

"You make it sound so easy." Kurt commented after a moment of silence.

"It is. For me. Hardest part was finding out where they were hiding out."

"Be careful anyway, mein friend." Kurt sighed, wondering if he would ever be able to face situations with the same confidence that Logan did.

"Don't worry, Elf. Those kids need their dad and I'm planning on bringing him home in one piece.

"Keep your eyes open." he continued, "This is a bigger operation than I thought. They could still be spying the rest of the family out. I'm just hoping they aren't that dedicated."

"Ja. I'll be watching." Kurt said, again wondering if his 'feeling' was worth mentioning. He decided it wasn't, since Logan could only come as quickly as he could wrap things up anyway.

When the conversation ended, Kurt found himself much too uneasy to sleep, so he slid silently out the window of the guest room and crawled up to the roof, casting his glowing eyes over the yard and fields beyond. If anyone could have seen him, perching like a sharp-featured gargoyle next to the chimney, they might have run screaming in terror, little knowing that the demon-like mutant was ready to give his life's blood for the small family sleeping peacefully in the house below.

xXx

Logan came bursting into the small room where Mr. Grant was being held prisoner with his usual amount of grace and subtlety. The door came off its hinges with a sharp crack and the two men who had been guarding it fell unconscious to the floor just inside the entrance, their broken rifles clattering down beside them.

Grant, disheveled and tied to a chair, his mouth open in bewilderment, looked at the the clawed, wild-haired man. "You don't look like one of New York's boys in blue..." he said slowly.

"The police don't even know you're missing yet, Bub." Logan growled, slicing through the man's bonds with his claws.

"Thanks, Mr..." Grant rubbed his wrists absently, still looking shell-shocked at his abrupt rescue.

"Name's Logan. You can get everything straightened out with the police after you've seen your wife and kids."

"Laura? Is she... are they all right?"

"They're with your in-laws. Your old friends here set the house on fire, but they got out."

"Thank God." he said fervently. "They told me... they said they all died in the fire. I couldn't believe it."

As they ran for the exit, Logan placed an anonymous call to the city police, ensuring the gang he had left tied up in various places around the large house would be picked up as soon as he and Grant were safely away.

"You did this by yourself?" Grant asked as they passed another group tied to a thick old oak standing out on the lawn. Logan had traced the ring's main operation to an old mansion outside the city limits and gotten Grant's location out of the first look-out he came across. The terrified man had almost been stammering too much to tell him anything with Logan's claws set that close to his throat.

"Yep."

"I counted fifteen of them when they first brought me here. You took out fifteen men by yourself?" Grant still sounded somewhat skeptical, though admiration also tinged his voice.

Logan stopped as they came to his (borrowed) motorcycle, parked behind the overgrown hedge near the road.

"Fifteen?" Logan asked. "You sure?"

"There could be more, but that's the most I saw. Why?"

Logan's expression darkened. "Because I only tied up ten."


End file.
